In the battle against mountaintop removal coal mining, sometimes the fight has to be taken outside the coalfield boundaries. Although the destructive practice of mountaintop removal occurs in the Appalachia’s, the coal from MTR coal mining is used across the country. In order for us to support stopping mountaintop removal coal mining we must directly support renewable energy resources wherever they can be found.

Enter stage left - Cape Wind, Massachusetts.

“Cape Wind is proposing America’s first offshore wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound. Miles from the nearest shore, 130 wind turbines will gracefully harness the wind to produce up to 420 megawatts of clean, renewable energy. In average winds, Cape Wind will provide three quarters of the Cape and Islands electricity needs.” From - Cape Wind - Energy For Life

“Coal accounts for just 15 percent of New England’s electricity, so even Cape Wind, which would use offshore wind turbines to supply power equal to three-quarters of Cape Cod’s demand, would not stop much of the devastation of Appalachia. But activists such as Janet Keating and Chuck Nelson of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition hope that Cape Wind will usher in a whole new era of energy production that lessens the nation’s dependence on coal. The country gets 50 percent of its power from coal, the biggest carbon emitter among fossil fuels.” From - The Boston Globe - Devastation at 3,000 feet

“No matter where you live, voicing your support for Cape Wind is important. Wind power is one of the most promising clean energy sources we have, and if we can harness it in Massachusetts — over the objection of a few powerful, moneyed interests — we can set a great precedent for the country.” From - Environment America

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In my opinion -

As a coalfield resident and a person extremely concerned with mountaintop removal coal mining - I couldn’t wait to throw my support behind a wind farm miles from the shore with a favorable 2,000 page environmental impact statement. I’d like to read a 2,000 page environmental impact statement of mountaintop removal coal mining. Unfortunately, I don’t believe 2,000 pages would even scratch the surface of MTR. I can pretty much guarantee any dialog after the study was complete did not have the word favorable included.

I can’t help thinking about the people against this project. If they could only see where some of their energy comes from now.

this…

OR

this…

combined with this.

Impact statements aside - which one do you think would be better for the environment?

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TAKE ACTION!!
Please take a minute to tell the U.S. Mineral Management Service that you want to see Cape Wind built. They’re taking comments from the public right now, and this is one of the last major hurdles for us to cross to finally realize the promise of clean, local energy from Cape Wind. All Together Now, For Cape Wind!